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Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts

5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers

Summer Vacation! 

Some of you have been on vacation for quite a while!

Others just barely started vacation.

Wherever you are on your vacation, it's well deserved, and I hope you're enjoying it!

But there are a few things to accomplish before the summer is over:
5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers: Here are five things that teachers should do in order to make the summer complete.


1. Reflect
5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers: Here are five things that teachers should do in order to make the summer complete.

Once you've caught your breath, be sure to reflect on the past year. 

Think about your successes! What made them successful? What could make them even better? Will you try these next year?

Think about the things that didn't work this year. Why didn't they work? What could you have done to make them work? Will you try these next year?

What was the best part of the year?

2. Relax5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers: Here are five things that teachers should do in order to make the summer complete.

You've worked hard and deserve to relax. Give yourself some down time where you don't have to think about anything!

One of my favorite ways to relax is to sit by a body of water and read, with my feet in the sand and a book in my hand! There are plenty of other ways to relax, too! What's your favorite?

3. Have fun!5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers: Here are five things that teachers should do in order to make the summer complete.

It's quite possible that this can overlap with #2, but having fun is essential when you've spent the last 10 months dealing with a stressful job! Lunch with friends, dinner with the husband, or a water park with the family. Whatever is fun for you, it's the time to do it!

Be sure to include something that makes you laugh... it's healthy! A friend of mine refers to laughter is "Vitamin L!" 

Don't forget to take your Vitamin L!

4. Read! 

Summer is really the only time of year I can escape into a book. During the school year, I'm reading books to improve my craft or some other work-related non-fiction. If I try to read for fun, I fall asleep! It's time to escape into a book. I'd love to know about your favorite summer reads!

5. Think ahead!5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers: Here are five things that teachers should do in order to make the summer complete.


Yes, it's not too early to start thinking about the next school year. Maybe not too much yet, but start thinking about what you might expect this coming year. Since you already reflected on this year with #1, it won't be too much trouble to start thinking about the future. 


Enjoy these well-deserved weeks! They'll be gone far too soon!


5 Summer "Must Dos" for Teachers: Here are five things that teachers should do in order to make the summer complete.

Laughter is Truly the Best Medicine!

Did you realize that laughter is not only fun, but actually healthy for you?

Laughter is truly the best medicine: This post contains evidence that laughter is healthy AND helps learning happen! Plus, there are a few suggestions on squeezing a few laughs into the classroom.

Here are some of the benefits of laughter:

1. Laughter releases good hormones - the kind of hormones that fight the stress hormones. We all know that children these days have a great deal of stress in their lives! (Can we say TESTING?)
2. Laughter boosts the immune system - those same hormones that fight stress help your body fight germs!
3. It lowers the blood pressure.
4. It relaxes your muscles.
5. According to a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, laughter during instruction increases test stores. (I don't know anything about this study other than seeing this information in several different places including THIS link. I want to learn more about this study!)
6. Humor can help erase negative emotions. Seriously, how angry can you feel while laughing?
7. Laughter provides a workout for many muscles including your abs.
8. Laughter is contagious, and builds social bonds.
9. Laughter is free!
10. I may be biased on this one, but I think there are few sounds more pleasant than the sound of children laughing.
 
I do make a point to include humor in my classroom every day. Luckily, second graders have fairly simple senses of humor.


In a writing lesson a couple of weeks ago, (about including things to get the reader's attention) I told them there were two words that are guaranteed to make children giggle:  bellybutton and underwear. (Of course I was very dramatic when telling this, with that dramatic pause after each word so that I got two sets of giggles!) Try it on your kids, it works!


One thing I love about teaching little ones... they always laugh at my jokes... no matter how many times I say it!  I've been known to wear out many a joke, yet still get laughs! Yesterday, when we cleaned out desks, I told them to take home their Christopher Columbus booklets, since "That ship has sailed".  Those booklets kept showing up for the rest of the day (yes, we're working on organizational skills) and I kept repeating... "because that ship has sailed". I got a laugh every time!


But it's almost November, when I get to use one of my favorite jokes to wear out:

Question:  If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?

Answer:  Pilgrims!

Sometimes it takes some explanation, but that's half the fun!

What jokes do you share with your students?


Laughter is truly the best medicine: This post contains evidence that laughter is healthy AND helps learning happen! Plus, there are a few suggestions on squeezing a few laughs into the classroom.

Ten Tips for Helping Learning Stick

I've been interested in how the workings of the brain for many years now. I've read tons of books, articles, and videos. I'm hardly an expert, but a lot of the information I read about really makes a lot of sense!
 
 
10 Tips for Helping Learning Stick: Ten research based strategies for helping children learn and remember what they've learned.


Here are ten ideas that are research based, and help me out in the classroom!


1. Move!  Studies show that combining movement with learning helps learning stick!  There are plenty of ways to include movement. I like to include a gesture when I teach a concept, and have the children mirror the gesture.  Trust me, they come back years later repeating the gesture!
10 Tips for Helping Learning Stick: Ten research based strategies for helping children learn.


Here are some of my darlings acting out one of the Author's Purpose reasons:  Entertainment!

 
2. Feedback!  Children need to know if  they're on the right track! I use a "Traffic Light" symbol when I correct papers.I'll highlight the child's name in green if they're doing what's expected at grade level. I'll highlight in yellow if there's something they need to be careful about. (Usually there's a written note.) I'll highlight in red (or pink, it's a little more "gentle,") if they need to stop and revisit the idea. (Usually there's a personal conversation, too.) Plus, there's one more color: if the work is "above and beyond grade level expectations," I'll highlight in purple. Of course, purple is for royalty, and I've been known to bow to children who pass in this sort of work! 

3. Talking!  Yes, students need to talk and have social experiences! Since I work with little ones with short attention spans, I include loads of "Turn and Talk" time!  I often pose a question for discussion with a partner. The question might be a review, or a query, or maybe a prediction. It's tough not to be engaged when they're involved in conversation with their peers! Plus, when I listen in, I can tell if they're learning what they are suppose to be learning, or not! That gives me feedback on my teaching, too!


 4. Humor! Did you realize that laughing is actually healthy? It brings oxygen to the brain and minimizes stress, which is bad for learning. It's time to pull out the joke books and get those kids laughing!



5. Stories!  Kids remember your stories! They love to hear about your family, your pets, and they especially love to hear about when you were little! HERE is a link to a story I often tell my students about my first day of school ever. I tell it to the kids as a model to show them how to write about their lives.



6. Emotions! I'm sure if you think of times where you felt strong emotion, you'll have strong memories as well. The above link tells about a strong emotion for me. Don't most people remember their weddings, the day their children were born, and, unfortunately, the death of a loved one. That's proof that our memories are tied to our emotions. Luckily, with kids, a little friendly competition or exciting situation will do the trick! I'll bet you remember that class play in third grade, and the Spelling Bee in 5th grade! Just be careful... bad emotions bring strong memories as well!



7. Music! How many of you remember all the words to the Brady Bunch Theme Song? I'll bet you never even had to work at it! I've written simple songs with simple lyrics to help the children remember important facts, such as The Seven Continents.  (See THIS post for lyrics.) I also use music to set the mood as they enter the classroom, and I use classical music in the background to help the children focus.



8. Brain Breaks! Studies show that children can attend only their age plus or minus 5 minutes, with 20 minutes total for adults. After that time, they need time to process the information so it can work its way into the long term memory.  I'm sure you can find plenty of ideas for brain breaks.


9. The Five Senses!  Studies show visual trumps all the other senses. If you pair knowledge with some sort of visual, it has a better chance of sticking. It's also been said the way to a child's heart is through their stomach! Teaching about a country?  Serve some food from that country! Teaching estimation? Estimate lollypops! Here's something I did to help the children remember to put spaces between their words.


10 Tips for Helping Learning Stick: Ten research based strategies for helping children learn.

10. Integrate the Arts!  I've already mentioned music, but integrating other arts has been known to ignite a passion for learning.  Dramatics, dance, clay, painting, drawing, and photography are great ways to help learning stick!  I'll bet you can even think of more varieties of the arts, and how to connect them to learning!

I hope you have enjoyed these Ten Tips for Helping Learning Stick!  

10 Tips for Helping Learning Stick: Ten research based strategies for helping children learn.









10 Tips for Helping Learning Stick: Ten research based strategies for helping children learn and remember what they've learned.


Seven Ways to Brain Fitness for Kids!

The brain is the most important organ in the body, isn't it?
I've been fascinated by the brain. 

I read all I can about how the brain learns, and how to take care of your brain. 

Seven Ways to Brain Fitness for Kids! Keeping the brain in good shape is essential, and here are seven ways to do just that!

Of course, I share information about the brain with my students!

Here are some ways I teach the kids to keep their brains fit:

Seven Ways to Brain Fitness for Kids! Keeping the brain in good shape is essential, and here are seven ways to do just that!
1. Exercise!  Get the oxygen to the brain! We often do exercises and brain breaks in the classroom. (I'm sure you've heard of Go Noodle! If not, go straight to this link for FREE brain breaks that the kiddos LOVE!)

 2. Eat Brain Food!  I bring in some healthy snacks for the kids. My school encourages healthy snacks, but once in a while I'll bring in my own! (Usually not fish or spinach, but often some carrots and berries!)

 
3. Ease stress!  These kids certainly understand what stress is! We sometimes do some Yoga moves and breathing exercises, and sometimes they just have quiet time where they think about nothing! Research proves we need to give them time to clear the brain in order for the brain to take in new information. Plus, the children absolutely love Yoga!

4. Listen to Music!  I've got a wide variety of music to play in the classroom, from "party" music, to mellow music for concentration. It doesn't have to be classical music! Find something appropriate for the occasion.


5. Laugh! I recently posted Laughter is Truly the Best Medicine, and listed some of the benefits of humor in the classroom. I have a whole box of joke books that I often bring out on April Fool's Day, although they are good any time of year. I'm a big believer in making sure people get their daily dose of "Vitamin L!"

6. Drink water!  Water is essential for brain function! I can't emphasize this enough. (It's important for the rest of the body, too!)
 

7. Keep challenging your brain!  I'll have a variety of puzzles and riddles for the children to choose from. I'm a big fan of Sudoku, so I often have a few of those for the kids. I also found a couple of cool websites: ABCya Tangram Puzzles has tangrams that can be done on the computer.  Puzzle Choice has tons of puzzles for kids and adults- go to Kid's Choice for lots of possibilities for printing as well as puzzles for the computer.  

How do you keep your students exercising their brains?

Seven Ways to Brain Fitness for Kids! Keeping the brain in good shape is essential, and here are seven ways to do just that!

10 Strategies for Surviving Until Summer

We have 21 school days left.  I'm trying not to get stressed out about all the work I have to complete in 21 days.  I much prefer to spend the 21 days enjoying my days with my students. 

Ten Strategies for Surviving Until Summer: None of these ideas will cost you a thing, but they'll keep your students interested and engaged for the last few weeks or days!


But then again.... these kids are "cooked".  They've taken in as much information as they can, and they're starting to get real cranky.  These little angels who have worked hard all year are struggling!



I need to complete the next couple of weeks of our reading program, then the unit test, then the end of the year test!


Ten Strategies for Surviving Until Summer: None of these ideas will cost you a thing, but they'll keep your students interested and engaged for the last few weeks or days!
Here's what I really want to happen the next couple of weeks:  I want to read all my very favorite books and leave the kids with a desire to read this summer!



I also want to finish the curriculum and all the tests, I want to make the end of the year memory books.  I want the children to have pleasant memories of their second grade year.



I want to be ready for my summer vacation!



But we do have to get through the next 21 days.  Somehow!



So, here are some things I plan to do:

1. Play a lot of music-  I do like a variety... soft music for concentration, lively music to get them moving, rowdy music to burn off steam...

2. Bring them outside- Work in opportunities to bring the children outside wherever I can.

3. Loving books- Celebrate books in every way possible!

4. Make 'em laugh- Find plenty of opportunities for laughter.  Laughter is good, and healing as well!

5. Fun- Work plenty of games and fun learning into the day.

6. Move- Get them out of their seats whenever I can.  Get their blood moving to bring oxygen to their brains.

7. Shake it up- Rearrange things... move desks, change the schedule, do something completely different.

8. Pair them up for projects- Being social increases learning and productivity.  Plus, it's fun!

9. Have a contest- Get their pulses moving!

10.Visuals- Find some good educational videos.
These are all things the brain needs for learning.  I try to do this stuff anyway.  I suspect they need it even more than usual this time of year.  It's a hard time of year for all of us, but it's even harder on the kids.  

Ten Strategies for Surviving Until Summer: None of these ideas will cost you a thing, but they'll keep your students interested and engaged for the last few weeks or days!
Ten Strategies for Surviving Until Summer: None of these ideas will cost you a thing, but they'll keep your students interested and engaged for the last few weeks or days!
We WILL make it!  
Summer vacation, here we come!


What are your ideas for the end of the year?

Ten Strategies for Surviving Until Summer: None of these ideas will cost you a thing, but they'll keep your students interested and engaged for the last few weeks or days!
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